Reefer Madness Serial Article

[Oz]

Stumbled across this article that's a continuing serial and so obviously anti-cannabis and completely tailored for reefer madness with a bit of everything thrown into the mix. Anyway thought you would all like to check out some reefer madness at its finest.

 

Marijuana most commonly used drug

 

ANDREW is a habitual marijuana smoker. He is 40 years old and he knows his addiction controls most of his life.

 

He’s married with three children, works and owns his own home, but very few of his work mates and friends know that he smokes.

 

“I keep it to myself and mind my own business, not even other smokers know that I smoke,” Andrew says.

 

“It’s sort of like living a double life, hiding behind the smoke and a good dose of clear eyes.”

 

According to the 2004 National Household Survey on Drugs, cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in Australia.

 

It has many health and safety issues and is no longer called the “safe drug”.

 

Marijuana for Andrew was the precursor to other drugs.

 

Due to the people he met, Andrew was led into a life of drugs and crime by the age of 14.

 

Stealing cars and robbing houses turned into a daily habit much like the drugs; with marijuana, speed and LSD his primary drugs of choice.

 

By the age of 17, Andrew’s life was spiralling out of control.

 

The child was turning into a man with the child’s game now turning into a man’s game.

 

“We started coming into contact with dangerous people,” Andrew said.

 

“They were dealing in drugs, guns and prostitution and it started to get full-on.”

 

At this point Andrew started to pull back, however, his mate Michael went deeper.

 

“Michael was attracted to the prestige of crime and he ended up running around with guns,” he said.

 

“Unfortunately he had issues with his girlfriend and put a bullet in his head one night. I’ll never forget the look on his face at the viewing – with a bandaid taped across his forehead.”

 

Michael’s death drove Andrew deeper into drugs, alienating his entire family and most of his friends.

 

“At the time I didn’t realise how much his death affected me and when I think about it now it was a blessing,” he said.

 

“I went into a deep depression and didn’t want to see anyone. I tried to top myself a couple of times, but I found out I was pretty useless at that too.”

 

Marijuana has long been known to trigger attacks of mental illness, such as bipolar (manic-depressive) psychosis and schizophrenia.

 

It has been shown that marijuana users are six times more likely to develop schizophrenia than are non-users.

 

Andrew’s depression stopped him from seeing his friends, which in turn, stopped him from scoring drugs.

 

“It was funny, but the crap with Michael made me leave the drug crowd. Besides my marijuana habit, I haven’t associated myself with anyone like that since.

 

“I think it scared the s**t out of me,” he said.

 

Andrew has been unsuccessfully trying to give up the weed for a number of years.

 

This time around he believes he has a chance.

 

“I’ve said that to myself before though,” he says.

 

“All I can do is keep trying.”

 

Read more...

 

Drug addict stole to feed habit

 

Author: Kieran Moran

Date: 17/05/2010

Source: Gladstone Observer

Copyright: © APN News & Media Ltd 2010.

[brick]

How many members in here?

We are all doomed to a life of hard drugs and guns and prostitution.

Well I say "Bring it fucking on, I'm ready to turn to the dark side"

 

;) :)

[Rocker]

I like the dark side. Darth hangs out there.

 

Anyway, there is always a few Andrews around. Some people have the same issue with poker machines or alcohol.

[MongyMan]

So he quit his 'life of crime and other drugs' and now only smokes.

 

Now.....

 

He’s married with three children, works and owns his own home

Just like a 'normal' person.

 

But is still forced to still live like a criminal in hiding....

 

“I keep it to myself and mind my own business, not even other smokers know that I smoke,” Andrew says.

 

“It’s sort of like living a double life, hiding behind the smoke and a good dose of clear eyes.”

That can't be healthy?

 

 

Hmmmm I can't see where cannabis can be blamed for anything here? Unless it's the fault of cannabis that he is targeted by the law. A bit like saying a woman deserved to be raped because her dress was the wrong colour imo.

 

Peace MongyMan

[louise]

Join me Brick, I turned on to the dark side years ago and it's great!

 

and secondly, to Kieran Moran...

 

"The child was turning into a man with the child’s game now turning into a man’s game."

 

Basic repetition of theme is a device to be applauded... when it is used by a primary school aged writer, after that it's just padding, adding nothing but a little cheap drama. Frankly, I feel that sentences like that just demonstrate the depth of your contempt for the paper's readership... but then Kieran, maybe it isn't all your fault.

 

I'm sure even the Gladstone Observer has an editor who approves this dross before ink and paper meet.

[Sparkitup]

What a moron..or maybe, what kind of manipulative reporting was he subject to?

 

The reason ppl even have anything to do with "harder drugs" is because the government have forced them to deal with hardened criminals in order to have a little puff...

 

Let me rephrase...Marijuana is a gateway drug because it's put in the same category in the eyes of the law.

Therefore there aren't a lot of "decent, casual smokers" to buy weed from any more, and the guys that sell, sell the other shit too.

 

This is a generalisation based on my childhood, and experience at least.

 

The government and media have a lot to answer for imo.

 

EDIT: Come to think of it, it's worse now than ever...I spoke to a mate of mine, who was always in good with all sorts of substances, and in 6 weeks, has managed to score 1 bag of weed, and told me on several occasions, if I was Speed, not a problem.

 

This is largely due to 2 things IMHO:

 

1. is the mining boom, which are now holding drug screen tests (at random or periodically, I don't know) to catch ppl using any substances. Knowing that drugs like amphetamines only stay in the system for a short period, ppl are turning to these as recreational drugs.

 

2. The continued idiotic clam down on drug dealers, and as marijuana is one of the most difficult to conceal, therefore easies to detect for these clowns who assume to be serving the community. Dealers arent no longer interested in a market with the highest risk, and lowest profit margin.

 

I hope one day soon this government wakes up, because whether they want to admit it or not, they doing more harm then good.

 

/rant

Edited May 18, 2010 by Sparkitup

[snooch]

This story has a lot of holes in it, and to be honest I'm finding it difficult to even find the news value in it.

Firstly, it provides only three basic facts - the rest is just one man's story which for all we know could have been made up anyway.

But the three basic facts are even full of holes.

Fact 1. According to the 2004 National Household Survey on Drugs, cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in Australia.

 

Ok, so a suvey in 2004 (!!) found this fact, yet you're only reporting in now???? Why? hmmmm

 

Fact 2. It has many health and safety issues and is no longer called the “safe drug”.

 

Really?? Source?? But now that the debate is open, that's cool, let's debate that fact then. Oh, but that's it. You just introduce that one line, then completely walk away from it without providing one shred of evidence for it.

Unless you count this as your evidence..

 

Fact 3. Marijuana has long been known to trigger attacks of mental illness, such as bipolar (manic-depressive) psychosis and schizophrenia. It has been shown that marijuana users are six times more likely to develop schizophrenia than are non-users.

 

Again, really?? Source??? Where's your evidence to this, so it can at least be debated properly and in all probability refuted?

 

So this journalist has used one man's story (a man who refused to be identified) and used it to show the ills of cannabis and basically given "fact" to every myth there is about the drug, without providing ANY balance at all. Poor journalism, no doubt.

But I understand why the story was written. I don't see the story in its entirity as treating its readers with contempt - I actually see it more as feeding the masses what they want to hear. Readers of newspapers these days are, generally speaking, an older, conservative group. And a story about a gun-toting, drug and prostitution dealing loser in all its salacious glory is going to be of more interest than a story about a guy who lives his life, goes to work, pays his bills on time, teaches his children good values...and uses cannabis (although that's what this guy seems to do now anyway...sigh...)

 

It's a great pity that there aren't many individuals or groups willing to provide the balance on a regular basis. Yes, we all know they are there if journalists are willing to find them, but it's not going to happen. Journos (especially newspaper journos) are more interested in sitting on twitter or facebook, or waiting for someone to send them a press release. They're not out there finding the news, just waiting for stuff to fall in their lap. And groups like drugfreeaustralia understand this. That's why whenever there is a "positive" story about illegal drugs in the press, they are actively contacting that media outlet to provide the counter-argument. And more often than not, that media outlet will provide them the opportunity to do just that.

The fact that they are at least partially funded by the taxpayer affords them the luxury of finances to be able to do this, of course. But I can almost guarantee that if there was a pro-cannabis group, led by people of authority (scientists, doctors etc etc) which was active in spoon-feeding factually-based reports on cannabis to media outlets (and particularly AAP and newspapers), the stories would run.

 

Enough of my rant. The last cone just kicked in and I need a lie down!!

[cybergenesis]

My god I'm 35 and I smoke cannabis all the time- I must be a chronic addict!!

 

Wow I had better be careful before I slip into crime, prostitution and other drugs (not "harder" drugs because remember cannabis is no soft drug!)

 

God help us guys... We are all doomed marijuana junkies

[bbud666]

what a load of shit..

 

Marijuana for Andrew was the precursor to other drugs

 

no, andrew was the precursor to other drugs.

 

Due to the people he met, Andrew was led into a life of drugs and crime by the age of 14.

 

no, andrew led himself into a life of crime..

 

i smoked at that age too.. i still only only smoke 23 years later..also i still have friends in jail at this moment, that have been in and out their whole lives and they dont blame drugs.. actually ll write a quote from a letter of a mate thats in parklea right now. he says..

"so glad ive never seen you in here, I have done some fucked up things.. most charges i cant remeber because i was so out of it on drugs but its not the drugs, it was me.. we both made our choices many years ago and fortunately for you yours was not to get into the same bullshit me and #$@!@#$ did..dont ever do anything that will put you in here cause m*#@!, this is no good place for any1 and any1 that tells you different is full of it."

 

i could have gone with them and stole cars, done b&e`s and all the rest but like he said, we made our choices and andrew made his..dont blame pot, have some balls and admit you fucked up..

 

We started coming into contact with dangerous people,” Andrew said.

 

“They were dealing in drugs, guns and prostitution and it started to get full-on.”

 

no andrew, you put yourself in contact with these people..unless they forced him at gunpoint????

 

“At the time I didn’t realise how much his death affected me

 

dont need drugs for that situation.. every1 has been there..every1 thinks and feels different about things that happened in the past as they grow older..

 

Marijuana has long been known to trigger attacks of mental illness, such as bipolar (manic-depressive) psychosis and schizophrenia.

 

It has been shown that marijuana users are six times more likely to develop schizophrenia than are non-users.

 

i guess we are all fucked then...

 

Andrew’s depression stopped him from seeing his friends, which in turn, stopped him from scoring drugs.

 

acoording to the people on "the rick simpson story " and many others claim that pot helps depression..and what, he couldnt score anywhere else than "those mates"

 

Andrew has been unsuccessfully trying to give up the weed for a number of years.

 

This time around he believes he has a chance.

 

oh surprise surprise i was right, he could and DID seek out somewhere else to score..guess he wasnt as commited to his bleeding heart story or his choice to quit weed as the first three quarters of the story made out..

 

“All I can do is keep trying.”

 

lets all have 3 cheers of support for andrew...hip hip fuck off, hip hip your full of it, hip hip your a wanker...yaaaaaay

 

 

just a bunch of random well worn out bullshit that whole thing.. but the truly sad part is that alot of people are still that gullible today that they believe this regurgitated rap..

shit there is actually people they still believe oswald shot kennedy and that bin ladens followers really did carry out sept 11 attacks.."oh my god are you kidding, thats not what really happened"..... the naivety of people somtimes just leaves me absolutely speechless..

 

cheers...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

[shroomyshroom]

...

 

the old marijuana gate way pitch....................